RETURN TO OZ

Version: 2004 Disney dvd

If you are going into this thinking the story from the 1939 movie is continued, well kinda. This is actually based on two of the many books, and the old movie took liberties. So in a way, this new one is closer to the original idea. I liked the reference to how the Tin Woodsman ended up as tin. Don't expect everyone to look the same. The Scarecrow actually looks just like the illustration in the book, not like the one from the first movie.

When I popped this in the player, the first thing I thought was "if this is after the tornado, why is she younger?" Well, Judy Garland from the first movie is 16, but she looks a lot older than the character's age of 12. Fairuza Balk looks a lot younger than Garland, but the character's age is the same.

I am 21, and there are parts of this film that almost weird me out. The Wheelers?! Damn, for a minute I thought I was watching "Are You Afraid of the Dark?". I would have loved this as a kid (hell I love it as an adult), but other kids might not be in the same boat. Dorothy is about to undergo electric shock therapy, and she is in peril many times.

There is one thing that may be up to interpretation. Dorothy's road to Oz starts just as the doctor is flipping the switch. In the film, the power goes out, so she is saved. What if Dorothy made this all up as an attempt at deluding herself, and she actually got fried??

You know, the first Oz movie was my favorite as a kid, so I am wondering why I haven't seen Return until now. Did I see it and forget? I think I would have remembered something as zany as this. ^^; I'll admit, parts of it are just plain crazy. Overall though, it's a good way to kill some time.

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